US approves $15bn Thaad missile for Saudi Arabia

WASHINGTON, October 7, 2017

The US State Department has approved a potential $15 billion sale of Lockheed Martin Corporation's Thaad anti-missile interceptors, launchers and radar, part of the package of weaponry that President Donald Trump promised for the kingdom during a visit in May, said a report.

Negotiations on contracts can move ahead unless the US Congress acts to block the deal within 30 days. The Saudis would be the second international buyer of Thaad after the UAE, reported Bloomberg.

Thaad, which uses a hit-to-kill warhead to destroy short and medium-range missiles, gained international attention this year after the US placed a Thaad battery in South Korea over China’s objections.

The proposed Saudi sale underscored enduring US-Saudi defense cooperation on a day when Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, with deals announced on arms sales as well as energy, it stated.

Saudi Arabia has requested a potential sale of 44 launchers, 360 missiles, 16 Fire Control and Communications Mobile Tactical Stations, and seven AN/TPY-2 radars made by Raytheon Company, said the Bloomberg report.